page_title: La Conchita, California
section_title: 1960–2005
hierarchical_section_title: La Conchita, California / History / 1960–2005
caption_attribution_description: English: View of main 2005 La Conchita landslide, from the air just offshore. Notice the crosses where people died. Photo by self, July 31, 2009, GFDL/equiv.
context_page_description: La Conchita is a small unincorporated community in western Ventura County, California, on U.S. Route 101 just southeast of the Santa Barbara county line. The ZIP Code is 93001, and the community is inside area code 805.
  On January 10, 2005, a major landslide occurred in La Conchita. The 2005 landslide killed 10 people, and destroyed or damaged dozens of houses. The landslide recurred on part of a previous landslide in 1995.
context_section_description: 1967- Phillips Petroleum Company proposed its processing plant on 15 acres (61,000 m²) previously zoned for homes.
  1971- Highway 101 completed
  1975- La Conchita Ranch Co. started to farm the plateau, a marine terrace above the community, for citrus and avocado.
  1985- Seaside Banana Gardens established in La Conchita
  Until its forced closure in 1998, after the financial impact of the 1995 mudslide led to it losing its lease, the Seaside Banana Gardens operated by Doug Richardson (and his partner Paul Turner) were a leading attraction in La Conchita. The Gardens were featured in both national and international publications. Although it was widely assumed that bananas could not be commercially grown in California, the garden cultivated over 50 exotic varieties in the unusual microclimate of the area.
  1986- Internationally recognized Artist Roger Brown moves to La Conchita.
  Roger Brown (1941–1997) lived primarily in La Conchita from the late 1980s until his untimely death in 1997. The community and its environment inspired many of the artist's paintings during the last decade of his life. Brown was a member of the class-action lawsuit filed against La Conchita Ranch as a result of the 1995 mudslide, and some of his works depict the cataclysmic events of that day rendered in his signature style. His works are in major museums and private collections throughout the country. The artist's estate and collections are maintained at the Roger Brown Study Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
  1992- renowned Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman Architect, (b. 1930- ) completes the studio home of artist Roger Brown (1941–1997) on Ojai Street.
  The pink adobe home has become a significant landmark in La Conchita. Brown had fought for more than two years to get the design of this studio through the Ventura County Planning Commission and even commemorated his frustrations with the Commission in a now famous painting.
  1995- first major mudslide affecting the village of La Conchita.
  2004- Roger Brown residence purchased by ER Nurse Bill Harbison. 1.5 months later the 2005 landslide occurred, during which he was responsible for two live rescues, for which he was awarded the Medal of Valor by the Ventura County Fire Department and the State of California.
caption: View of the main 2005 landslide, from the air, just offshore. Prior to 2005 the houses formed a straight line along the base of the hill.
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